Arthur Morgan, III (L); Tierra Morgan (R) (credit: Handout)
LAKEHURST, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – The man accused of murdering his 2-year-old daughter has waived extradition from California and could be back in New Jersey in the next three weeks.
On Thursday night, the family of the little girl lashed out at the Department of Youth and Family Services, CBS 2’s Christine Sloan reports.
The toddler’s great grandfather is also blaming the court system for not doing enough to prevent Tierra Morgan’s death.
“My granddaughter pleaded with these people not to allow an unsupervised visit. Yet in spite of her request it was denied,” the man said.
It was what the grief-stricken mother told CBS 2 earlier this week.
“I reached out to the Department of Youth and Family Services when he hit her and he admitted to hitting her and they still deemed him fit as a parent,” Imani Benton said.
“They wouldn’t grant me a final restraining order. Practically they told me you are a liar,” Benton said.
It was more than a week ago when teenagers found the 2-year-old dead, still strapped in her car seat and partially submerged in water. Sources say she was hit with a blunt object.
In a statement, the head the Department of Youth and Family Services said she initiated a case record review of the little girl’s history to “…ensure we did everything possible and to identify any instances for improvement.”
She said in October the restraining order against Arthur Morgan was dropped and the agency closed the case, finding the abuse allegations to be unfounded. However, a New Jersey Sen. Shirley Turner said three more incidents should have raised the red flag. She’s crafted legislation to change the system.
“Unfounded there’s nothing there, but if you say not substantiated but perhaps there is smoke you may not have found the fire but you know it bares watching,” Turner said.
Under Turner’s plan, Arthur Morgan would have been required to go to counseling before an unsupervised visit, allowing the Department of Youth and Family Services to track the family.
“My child was everything me,” Benton said.
Now, a mother has to spend the rest of her life without her child.
This is not the first time the agency has had to deal with a child dying in its care. The case of Faheem Williams, whose mummified body was found in a Newark basement, forced the Department of Youth and Family Services to overhaul its system in 2003.
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16 Comments
What a tragedy for this man to do that to that baby. He obviously hated her and her mother. I think part of the lesson is to stop making babies with these disgusting a$$ men who you know are disgusting when you are sleeping with them, getting knocked up by them, and fighting to put their names on the birth certificates because you just have to have that child support money. Once his name is on the birth certificate, there’s nothing you can do when he decides that he wants to see his kid. Does this man look like he ever wanted to be a father and a family man? Come on.
December 2, 2011 at 9:59 am
Regardless of who is at fault, the main culprit in this is the so-called “father”. Just because you poke someone and make a baby doesn’t mean a thing as witnessed in this instance. Until men and women of all races stand up and be PARENTS, this type of thing will continue to happen. Mr. Morgan killed a beautiful child. It would only be fitting if he were killed in return.
December 2, 2011 at 7:31 am
That person is sick for making a statement like that
December 1, 2011 at 2:14 pm
Since he was so violent to the mother and daughter and that is the reason she left, what mother in her RIGHT MIND would allow this monster visitation rights? She says he hides his anger well around other people but something is a little fishy as to how he actually got visitation rights to begin with. DYFS stikes again!
December 1, 2011 at 10:04 am
Its not DYFS that orders visitation. Its the court in NJ that ordered visitation. The mothers choice was to allow the visitation or violate a court order and go to jail. Then the father would get custody. If it were me. I would had hid the child as far away as I could and went to jail.
December 1, 2011 at 10:50 am
Where’s my kid Jojo?
Don’t be so vendictive!
December 1, 2011 at 12:34 pm
I think Jojo is right. If the mom knew his violent streak and a judge would not hear it. I would do the same thing and make sure my child is safe and never sees her dad again.
December 1, 2011 at 1:42 pm
It’s obvious after viewing that witch that calls herself the child’s mother on TV who the real cause of this tragedy is. It is this she-devil that drove a good man to madness and took his soul and the soul of her innocent baby as a sacrificial offering to her evil master. Look at her eyes, they never lie. Just the ten second of seeing her I was sickened.
December 1, 2011 at 9:54 am
You are one sick human being. I hope you do not have children.
December 2, 2011 at 7:46 am
The father took the child from her home to kill her.
He could have just not taken her from her home.
This is without conscience of any sort.
December 1, 2011 at 8:40 am
Stop demonizing the man. He knows that he’s a genetic reject. He just made sure his bad genes didn’t spread. More defects should be like him.
December 1, 2011 at 8:34 am
You are a real idiot.
December 1, 2011 at 10:51 am
He has a good point Jojo.
Imagin if Hitler’s father did the same.
December 1, 2011 at 12:29 pm
DanTe, I usually agree with what you post, but we are talking about a 2-year-old here and how tragically she died. Show a little respect and sit the rest of this one out.
December 1, 2011 at 11:24 am
No need to waste tax money , just throw the monster of the nearest bridge !!!!!
December 1, 2011 at 7:41 am
He no munsta, he just misundastood.
December 1, 2011 at 3:25 pm